Bitcoin: A Visual History Series 1 (4K Master Cinemagraph)
This is the complete Bitcoin: A Visual History Series 1, collecting all seven animations in perfect 4K.
01: GENESIS BLOCK On Jan 3rd 2009, the Bitcoin blockchain went online for the first time. Created by the pseudonymous engineer Satoshi Nakamoto, the “genesis block” was the literal foundation upon which the next decade of explosive blockchain innovation was built. Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Is he a revolutionary genius? Is he secretly the CIA? Is he even a “he”? Could she be a sentient robot from the future sent back to save mankind from debt slavery? We’ll (probably) never know.
02: HAL FINNEY One of the most important early contributors to the Bitcoin project was Hal Finney (1956-2014). Finney was the quintessential cypherpunk, and famously wrote “the computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them.” Finney received the very first Bitcoin transaction, directly from Satoshi Nakamoto, just 3 days after the genesis block went live. His remains have been cryopreserved by Alcor Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona.
03: 10K BTC PIZZA On May 22nd 2010, a developer named Laszlo Hanyecz decided to prove that Bitcoin was a viable mode of payment. So he went on the BitcoinTalk forum and offered to pay 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. At the time, 10,000 BTC was worth over $40, and since it was a “generous” trade, someone eventually took him up on the offer. It became the first commercial transaction ever settled with bitcoin, and those two pizzas are now valued at over $95M in 2020 prices.
04: FINAL MESSAGE On Apr 23, 2011, Satoshi Nakamoto wrote one of his/her final emails. “I’ve moved on to other things,” he wrote to Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn. “It’s in good hands with Gavin and everyone.” A few days later, he sent one last message to the newly-assigned Bitcoin Core Maintainer Gavin Andresen. “I wish you wouldn’t keep talking about me as a mysterious shadowy figure … Maybe instead make it about the open source project and give more credit to your dev contributors.” We would not hear from Satoshi again for 3 years.
05: ROSS ULBRICHT On Oct 1st, 2013, Ross Ulbricht was arrested for operating the Silk Road, an online marketplace that used Bitcoin as its mode of payment. The landmark case was the first of its kind, and in an unprecedented decision, the federal court handed down a double-life sentence which Ulbricht continues to serve. The penalty has been described by many as “a miscarriage of justice” and to this day supporters continue to lobby for clemency at FreeRoss.org.
06: TO THE MOON On Nov 27th 2013, Bitcoin’s price broke $1,000 for the first time. Enthusiasts the world over exclaimed “To the moon!” while mainstream media and pundits wondered how long the run-up would last.
07: THE HODLER On Dec 18th, 2013, a thoroughly inebriated trader took to the BitcoinTalk forums to profess his loyalty to Bitcoin, regardless of price. The post’s title, “I AM HODLING”, quickly went viral, with the misspelling turning into a rallying cry for a new generation of crypto traders.
About the Series
"Bitcoin: A Visual History" is a series of 21 illustrations and cinemagraphs commemorating remarkable people and landmark events throughout Bitcoin history. BVH is divided into 3 series of 7 illustrations each, with Series 1 dropping in late August 2020. Series 2 and Series 3 are scheduled to drop in the last quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, respectively.
Each illustration in BVH interlocks with the illustration immediately preceding it, and once completed, all three sets will form one massive unbroken chain of interconnecting illustrations.
Each segment will be available as a 1-of-1 ultra-rare cinemagraph, or as a 10-of-10 limited edition illustration.
This series was created by CRYPTOPOP! with the support of WavesWorld.io.